Stocking and process of making



Nov. 3, 1931.- J. H. voGT E'r AL STOCKING AND PROCESS OF MAKING Filed Oct. 27, 1930 Patented Nov 3, 1931 JOHN' H. VOGT, 0F READING, AND HARRY MCADAMS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE N OLDE ANI) HORSTCOMPANY, OF READING, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA STOCKING AND PROCESS F MAKING application led October 27, 1930. Serial No. 491,421.

This invention relates generall to circularly knit goods as stockings or t e like, and more particularly to those formed with one i or more elastic belts or garter bands adapted to securely retain them in place, when in use, without other support. And the present improvements comprise a knit tubular article having one or more supporting band portions each consisting of an annular pocket enclosing an encirclingly wound elastic thread, parts only-of the latter being secured to said pocket to effect a tensionedy resistance to an enlarging circular stretch.

A preferred embodiment of the improvements, their inherent advantages, neat appearance, and simple and economical formation during the usual knitting operation, will be more fully described in connection 9 with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof set forth in the appendedv claims.

Fig. 1 indicates a stocking having a ribbed I top and embodying the improvements, an

outer-wall portion of one pocket beingl broken Aawayto show the enclosed windings of the elastic thread. c

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic longitudinal section through a pocket portion of o the stocking on the line 2-2 of'Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic transverse section through said pocket, on the line 3 3 of Fig. i.- f

Fig. 4 is a i tion 7 The top portion 5, adapted to snugly t the leg of a wearer, is preferablyfmade, as I shown, of rib-knitted fabricfor greater freedom to expand, but such ribbed fabric alone does not reliably iinsure proper support of the stocking.

To insure such proper support, the iinprovements provide for/the addition 'to said top of one or more integral garter'band por- '0 f ind' of tions 10, each comprising ree w ings diagrammatic view showingthe elastic thread feeding finger and its rela- ,wall pocket may be simply secured, as shown in the preferred construction of the 4drawings.l by interknit portions of said thread 11, adjacent each end of the length forming such windings, engaging for a few wales 14 with the fabric forming a wall of said pocket 12, the intermediate portion of said wound length being free from any attachment to, though conned in said pocket.

A stocking thus provided with the improved garter band portion 10 will be self supporting on the leg of a wearer. And the use of such elastic thread 11 in place of a circular band, or adequate single strand, facilitates its introduction to the closed pocket 12, and allows for desired variation of garter resilience in accordance with the number of windings. And moreover such windings are securely retained in proper position on said top portion 5, and are neatly hidden in. the encasing pocket walls, thus forming an 4integral stocking garter band portion 10 of improved construction, deterA mined elasticiy, and pleasing inconspicuous appearance. ne or a plurality of such garter band portions 10 may be em loyed as desired, the drawings showing two ands arranged to spacingly. divide the contracting pressure on the wearers leg.

The improved garter band portions 10 above freely set forth, may be simply and economically formed during the usual knitting operation to produce the stocking, and a preferred method for this purpose will now be described.

The ribbed top portion 5 of the drawings is commonly economically knit as a continuous tube provided at spaced intervals with annular bands of varied stitch formation delining lines for severing it into individual Y tops having a selvage-edge at one end thereof ration for al selected number of courses of the stitches formed onthe cylinder needles from those formed on the dial needles so as to produce two separate fabrics in such courses only, said stitches being interengaged above i and below said special courses to knit :a usual 17a where the thread 11 will not interknit but will be loosely laid between the separate! ribbed top, all as well known and understood.

For the purposes of the present improvements we provide the top 5 with one or more such usual annular pockets 12 heretofore referred to, spaced as desired lengthwise of said-top, and during the knitting formation thereof introduced into said pockets the encircling windings of the elastic thread 11.

In Fig. 4 we have indicated the cylinder needles 15 and dial needles 16 of a known rib-knitting machine, and 17 one of a plurality of lusual thread guide fingers adapted to supply thread to said'needles. When the knitting operation has reached a' point where a pocket is desired, the needles 15 startl to form a separatefabric `producing one wall 2() of said 'pocket 12, and the needles 16 simultaneously produce the other wall 21 thereof. During such separate wall formatiomwe lower into feeding position, indicated by full lines, a guide linger 17 carrying the elastic thread l1, which is then supplied to and interknit with the needles l5 as shown, such interknitting being preferably interrupted, after a few wales 14 sufficient to safely anchor said introduced end of thread 11, by a partial lifting of said guide finger 17 to dotted position ly forming fabric Walls 20 and 21. The guide will remain in such position only long enough to supply a determined number of encircling windings withY such forming pocket, when it will be again lowered to needle feeding position for a few wales 14 to anchor it again in a later formed course onl said needles 15..v After such anchoring, guide finger 17 is raised to idle dotted position 17", withdrawing said thread from the fabric, and at this point any knowncutting device, as blades 22, will act to sever such withdrawn thread. The pocket 10 is then closed as usual and secures and encases the encirclingly wound thread, and each end of the latter is securely anchored to a wall .of said pocket so as to form a resilient circular essere band `lying wholly 'within and hidden inJ pocket 12. This operation may be repeated rferred stocking structure having a ribknitted top portion, any stocking provided -with an annular pocket portion to receive the elastic thread 11 would be equally applicable. And while shown and described as a garter band, it may be equally applicable as a supporting belt or the like for other tubular knit articles. y

From the foregoing description it is believed the nature of the improvements and one method of their production will be readily understood, and we do not desire to limit ourselves to such specic structure, but:

What we claim is 1. A tubular knit stocking or the like having a top formedwith an` integral annular pocket, and a supporting garter formed in said pocket by encircling windings of an elastic thread, limited portions only of which are4 secured to a wall of said pocket.

2. A tubular knit stocking or .the like having a top o'rmed with an integral annular pocket, and a supporting garter formed in said pocket by encircling windings ofan elastic thread, limited portions only of which are secured to a wall of said pocket by interknit engagement therewith in different courses for a plurality of wales.

3. A tubular knit lstocking or the like having a top formed with an integral annular pocket, and a supporting varter formedin said pocket by a plurality 0F encircling windings of a length of elastic thread, end portions only of said length being secured to a wall of said pocket.

4. A tubular knit stocking or the like havving a top formed with an integral annular pocket, and a supporting garter formed in said pocket by a plurality of encircling windings of a length of elastic thread, end portions only" of said length being secured to a wall of said pocket by interknit engagement therewith in different courses for a plurality of wales. i

5. The process of manufacturing a tubular knit stocking or the like with an elastic supporting garter portion, which comprises knitting a tubular fabric having an integral annular pocket, and durin the knitting of said pocket introducing t ereto an added elastic thread encirclingly wound within said pocket for a plurality .of convolutions, and

portions only of different convolutions interknit with a wall of said pocket to anchor said thread and form an elastic circular supporting band. f

6. The process of manufacturing a tubular knit stocking or the like with an elastic supporting garter portion, which comprises knitting a stocking top with an integral annular pocket, during the formation of the latter introducing thereto an added 'elastic `t-hread, interknitting an end portion of the latter for a plurality of wales with one course of said pocket Wall, laying said thread in said pocket beyond said interknitting for a plurality of encircling windings, interknittin a second portion of said thread for a plurality of Wales in another course of saidv pocket wall, severing said elastic thread beyond said last mentioned interknitting and Withdrawing it out of action, completing said pocket, and adding a leg andv foot portion to said top.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

JOHN H. VOGT. l HARRY MGADAMS. 

